Dreams In The Great Gatsby By F. Scott Fitzgerald

F. Scott Fitzgerald explores the concept of dreams through the interpersonal relationships between the characters of The Great Gatsby. Gatsby, representing new money— “earned wealth” — is forced to forfeit humanity in order to reach the status of greatness and true wealth. Daisy, representing old money and the American dream for Gatsby, was blinded by status and gave up on happiness in order to outwardly appear picture-perfect despite her troubled life. However, Gatsby’s death in Chapter 8 reveals to the audience a new idea: that the dreams these characters were chasing weren’t going to come true, and that wealth and status are birthrights. As Gastby reaches for greatness, for that title of an “icon,” he quickly realizes he has been forced

After 2 hours of floating in the pool, dirtied with Autumn leaves, “no telephone message arrived” and “[Gatsby] himself” (line 7-8) knew that he wouldn’t get a phone call. He had been expecting a phone call from Daisy, the one person he loves most. He knew that he “paid a high price” in order to live his life “with a single dream” (line 9-10). His dreams of greatness and of Daisy crashed into each other and he found them impossible to coexist. Fitzgerald’s use of “[Gatsby] himself” when describing his disappointment centers the narrative around his emotions and humanity. We no longer look at an iconic figure from a narrative distance, but we are now forced to be made aware of his thoughts and his self, finally unveiling his facade of the perfect American man. When we finally see Gatsby alone and, for the first time, abandoning perfection, he is isolated, literally floating as if he were lost at sea. Gatsby was ignored and outcasted for his upbringing, forcing him to change himself to be palatable for

Wealth is a birthright, and unless you are born with gold, the yellow you work for will only be your downfall. New money doesn’t hide your upbringing, and you can never truly reach that wealthy status without escaping your poor background. In the case of Gatsby, he is quite literally killed by something he cannot escape. Mr. Wilson kills Gatsby, a poor man, killing a poor man pretending to be rich. His impoverished background is something that will always chase Gatsby down. Gatsby was blinded by the idea that the American dream was possible for him, forgetting that he was born into an inescapable state. He had “paid a high price,” his life, “for living too long with a single dream” (line 9-10). His death reveals the illusion of new money and reminds you of his impossible ambitions of real wealth, the American dream, and Daisy. The characters of this novel chase down the status of “icon” while forgetting that icons are just that— two dimensional, inhuman, perfect, and unachievable greatness. You can’t reach a quality of being untouchable when all that being human is is to be around others and to